Idle No More: Canadian musicians throw their support behind the movement

Idle No More: Canadian musicians support the movement

“I’m an Officer of the Order of Canada and I’m proud of my Governor General’s Award, but these are meaningless unless they reflect continued progress toward equity among all Canadians, respect for indigenous rights and First Nations Treaties and protection of the land and waters we know as Canada,” wrote Buffy Sainte-Marie in an email to the National Post, explaining her support of the Idle No More movement.

Sainte-Marie, an acclaimed Cree singer-songwriter born on the Piapot Reserve in Saskatoon’s Qu’Appelle River Valley, posted a video this month to YouTube from her farm in Hawaii urging Prime Minister Stephen Harper to “seize this opportunity … for Canada to lead in making things better for indigenous people.”

“What we’re seeing now in Canada with Idle No More reminds me of the anti-war movement of the 1960s,” Sainte-Marie wrote. “It’s a genuine reflection of the feelings of huge numbers of people within and beyond Canada who are already like-minded to protect human rights and natural resources from local, corporate and political abuse.”

Like Sainte-Marie, members of the Canadian music community have been anything but silent in their support of the recent First Nations demonstrations. Robbie Robertson, the former leader of The Band, whose mother is of Mohawk descent, has been voicing his endorsement on Facebook and Twitter while Nelly Furtado said, “Props to Idle No More,” during her televised New Year’s Eve performance.

There’s also a music compilation available online entitled Idle No More: Songs for Life, Volume 1, featuring a host of aboriginal and non-aboriginal Canadian performers — including Whitehorse, A Tribe Called Red and Jenn Grant — while Angela Loft, of the Polaris Prize shortlisted group Yamantaka // Sonic Titan, has been performing at rallies.

“No nation should be content with the fact its original inhabitants are systematically screwed,” wrote Loft, who’s from the Kahnawake Mohawk Territory, along the St. Lawrence River in Quebec. “People are quick to ask: ‘What else do you want from the government?’ in financial terms, but some of the solutions are more about updating curriculum and committing to long-term, concrete working relationships to gauge the needs of individual aboriginal communities.”

“As a musician, it’s possible to get an inflated view of your own opinion, but since I stand in front of a number of people, I feel like I can say what I want to say — I haven’t considered a backlash”

As with the Occupy Movement, which received vocal endorsements from a host of artists — from hip hop stars Kanye West and Jay-Z to folk music icons Pete Seeger and Arlo Guthrie — musicians of all stripes have been attracted to Idle No More. And while performers have a history of being left-leaning — Bruce Springsteen and Bono can never quite duck the “limousine liberal” tag — Luke Doucet, of the band Whitehorse, says he has an obligation to speak his mind.

“If you want to take it as far as Bono, that’s up to you, but people who refuse to engage in anything meaningful are missing an opportunity,” Doucet says. “As a musician, it’s possible to get an inflated view of your own opinion, but since I stand in front of a number of people, I feel like I can say what I want to say — I haven’t considered a backlash.”

While the issues around the Indian Act and Bill C-45 continue to unfold, musicians will continue speaking out, even if their words are sometimes incensed.

“Our treaty agreements to share the land with newcomers provide that we retain our rights to lands and natural resources,” Sainte-Marie wrote. “Instead many reserves are living in colonialized poverty, while the mines, fisheries and resources on their lands are exploited by others who get rich, poison the land and waters and leave, certain that the dice are on their side.”

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